Fireplace
by WelcomeOTPhell
Summary: Because whether he was Tsuna or whether he was Naruto, he was always willing to provide a home for broken souls
1. Chapter 1

**Summary** :Because whether he was Tsuna or whether he was Naruto, he was always willing to provide a home for broken souls

 **A/N:** My first contribution to both the Naruto fandom and the KHR fandom. Please go easy on me, I'm not the best writer but I like writing and I hope to improve. Constructive criticism is welcomed, however unnecessary hate will be ignored. There might me future pairings, however since I'm more in tune with the Boys in Love side of the KHR fandom, it might be **male x male** pairings with Tsuna. If you don't like this, please click the back button immediately

Thank you and I hope you enjoy this short prologue

* * *

"Done already?" The dainty librarian asks him warmly as soon as his waddling legs pad quietly over to the reception. She grabs the books he gently placed on the desk, struggling on his tiptoes and pouting at the small huff of laughter Irina-san releases.

"Mou" he pouts, crossing his arms with practised innocence. "Stop laughing at me, Irina-san. I'm not that small" he whines, chucking his shoes against the carpeted floor. He ignores the boy wearing a crow mask that followed him almost everyday, because no one else seemed to pay mind to him other than the others who wear different animal masks. He thinks it was better to pull a Takeshi on this one, so pouting deeper at the tittering giggles that fall out of the librarian's mouth, he plays his part as the six year old civillian boy eager to learn more about Shinobi Arts.

"I'm going to be a strong ninja someday and then I'm gonna be taller than you" he stretches his arms up, let's his eyes widen with childish anticipation that women relentlessly coo over. "Then I won't have to stand on my tippy-toes! And I can reach taller shelves too!"

Irini-san deftly prepares the books he wishes to borrow with the ease of someone more commonly suited to handling a sword. His intuition tells him that she knows his disguise, knows that he's not really the civillian boy from a no name family with non-descript qualities - but rather someone else that was pushed to take on a persona for himself. But even so, the genuine smiles and warmth she excludes, and his small little mental voice, tells him that he could trust her in the future.

"Is that so?" She hums, placing the books in a small bag that allows for easier transportation. She chucks in a small lollipop in there, a little complimentary gift for always taking the time to visit her - even when he's someone else. She hands him the bag with a fond pat to his head. "I hope you don't grow up too much. I like you just the way you are"

There were underlying emotions underneath her carefully constructed words, and had Reborn not been his tutor, he would have been far too much of a coward to reciprocate the subtle message. But he is- _was_ his tutor, for a good majority of his life and he isn't the same boy that tried to decapitate Mochida's head (accidentally okay!) after a sudden confession of love.

"You know why I really want to grow up quick though?" He smiles brightly before it drops into a small, secretive grin. God, he doesn't even have to try to be bashful when he's more easily flustered than an oven passing gas. He then ducks his head and shyly admits from his heart, "So I can grow strong and protect my precious people" he looks up and makes contact with her eyes, not paying heed to the reigned flash of surprise in her brilliant green orbs "I want to protect Irina-san too"

Matsushi Irina, twenty six years old, retired Jounin after her last mission took the toll on her body, and mother to none, lover to no one, feels the rush of consummate love coursing through her veins. Unlike the poison that almost killed her back then, this one was as soothing as the hidden blue eyes of the young boy, a bright colour but several different hues that conjoined into one perfect sky that looked at her like she was worth something - and not just some disposable tool for her village.

A village she detested for routinely deprecating the only child she has ever looked upon like he was her own kin.

Clutching her skirt, she forces a laugh out from her constricting throat, hoping that her little sunshine wouldn't notice how much his words mean to a woman who's never quite heard them before. She looks back at him, sees the ghost of their Fourth Hokage - but picturing a boy greater than the _Sage_ himself.

"Within due time, little one" she whispers, petting his, arguably less nicer brunet hair, with all the love she could mutter. "Within due time"

* * *

Reborn kind of had a set of unsaid rules that cover each situation. Getting dumped in the mafia? Get the fuck over it and start setting a bunch of assholes on fire. Suddenly summoning your dead many great grandfather? Tell him your daddy issues and pronounce him as your father. No, I'm the uncle okay Dame-Tsuna? Now go make me an espresso.

So, it was a testament to his own abilities that while Reborn essentially tortured the spineless kid out of him, Tsuna still panics, inwardly choking himself with Leon. And - it's an even _greater_ achievement that waking up in a new world didn't immediately revert him back to his 'Dame-Tsuna' days. No, with measurable composure, he sits up the uncomfortable futon, walks over to the nearest reflective surface he could see within his peripheral and stares at the image that looked back at him from the dusty cracks of the mirror.

Then and only the did he _maturely_ panicked.

" _Fuck_ " He screeches, stumbling over his own two ( _small_. Own t _wo small_ ) feet and promptly bruising his ass. Another vulgar "Fuck" escapes his lips, something that ruined the picture of innocence his appearance potrayed. But honestly? Reborn had done plenty of questionable deeds when he was probably two so Tsuna didn't necissarily feel _that_ guilty. Just a bit.

He looks - He looks _young_. Like, three decades _younger_ than his age. And he's blond, an exact replica of Primo, only differentiated by the whisker marks and holy _shit_ -

"Oh my god" Tsuna jumps an impressive height off the floor when a man suddenly materialises in front of him. Years of muscle memory comitted into his system instinctively makes him force a quick punch that no six year old could perform but to his less than surprised consciousness, the man easily catches it with a firm grasp. His legs tell him to wrap itself around the man's forearm and send him flying, but he wills the urge down with the continuous warnings of his Intuition to do nothing _at all._

"Daijobu?" The man says and Tsuna is definitely _not_ okay because who in the right mind would just appear in air!? As if that wasn't creepy enough, he's wearing a mask that had the same semblance to the animal he religiously avoided when he was five!

" _Do I look like I'm okay to you!?"_

He screams, eyes wild and confused. Maybe if he didn't spend half his life with people that spoke every language in the world, and by account he had to be fluent in most of them as well or else it's the pit for you dame-Tsuna, he would have realised that this stranger was talking in his native language while he was sprouting bullshit in _Italian_.

Tsuna could tell that the stranger was frowning and the contemplative silence, only occasionally broken by Tsuna's harsh pants, didn't last long. His Intuition twinges slightly, but not enough for alert as it tells him not to do anything. So when the man raises his free hand and whispers "Gomen Naruto" Tsuna permits the dark to overcome him with a soft strike to his jugular, one last fleeting thought in his mind.

 _'Who in the blessed fuck is Naruto?'_

* * *

Sarutobi suddenly startles out of his imagination, feeling the familiar chakra of Inu appearing in front of him. "Oh" he breathes, retracting the Orange paperback from underneath his desk. "Oh- Kami- It's just you" He breathes a sigh of relief.

"With all due respect Hokage-sama" starts one of his most loyal colleagues, approaching the desk with muted steps. "Ninety percent of Konoha knows what unsightly hobbies you like to indulge in. There's no need for secrecy"

"Well there remains the ten percent that _don't_ " he retorts, dog-earing the current page before placing it on the desk beside the mountainous piles of unfinished paperwork. Blegh. Konoha was the worst kind hypocrite; killing trees to produce papers he'll never even sign. Sarutobi then leans back against his chair. "Let them live with the knowledge that their Hokage is a morally upright old man past his prime"

"Uh huh" came the sarcastic reply. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Hokage-sama." Inu stops walking short of hitting his desk with his legs and a miniscule part of the older Shinobi stuttered a bit. Productive or not if those stack of paperwork fell, it's going to take him _years_ to carefully build it back up to it's equally useless state.

"But. I'm not here to discuss your perverse gratification, Hokage-sama" Despite the tease, the air around Inu suddenly shifts into something more professional. The Third, no pushover than the next Hokage is, doesn't straighten up; but relaxes furthermore with controlled movements only beffiting of someone his title. "It's about our young charge"

The Third hums, voice carrying the weight of a hundred souls whose fallen under the guise of an elderly man. "Our young charge?" He repeats casually, and seamlessly produces his pipe out of nowhere to inhale a lungful of smoke. "Dearest Uzumaki Naruto-kun, yes?"

"Yes" was the prompt reply, "Approximately twenty five past seven this morning, three hours and forty minutes before his usual time of activity, Uzumaki Naruto woke up. He pulled himself out of the bed, walked to the mirror and stared at his reflection for a brief moment before letting out an alarming shriek" Sarutobi has no idea where this was going, but worry gnawed the back of his mind. "I immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and asked if he was alright." There was a hesitant pause here and Sarutobi quickly orders "Proceed"

Inu, uncharacteristically, fidgets in his spot. He clears his throat and says, with more concern than allowed for a Shinobi -"He replied to me in an incomprehensible manner. I couldn't understand, however by the movement of his lips, it appeared to be a language only known to himself. I would say he was mildly delusional, and so, I knocked him out. Crow is standing outside with the said child, currently inactive as we speak"

The rhythmic ticking of the wall clock fills the silence that descended around both men.

The other ANBU guards' chakra flare, almost unnoticable, in unease; for what exactly? The Hokage knows that not every one of them cared for the young boy as a person; the deep scars from the Kyuubi attack never to heal even with time. However he's also privy to the fact that should they speak or act unmannerly against the Fourth's offspring (not that they knew) he was more than happy to free them off their duties. If they even dare propose the idea of the boy being possessed, he would personally make sure they would know the meaning of 'Out of the line' The Fourth's seal is an immaculate creation that can never be measured by anyone's worth combined. They would not only insult his pseudo grandchild, but disrespect both the legacy and Will of the Fourth Hokage - which is, in his definition, a blasphemy.

The Third Hokage draws a long drag from his pipe. His eyes harden, and suddenly, the God of Shinobi sits in front of his subordinate.

"Bring him to me" was the authoritative mandate, the room suddenly booming with tension. "If this was the work of an outside force, I want you to consult with those on gate duty from last month to present day. Visit the T&I if any suspicious activity aroused without our knowledge. I want all ANBU teams on guard. For now, stand down. We wait until the child awakes." Sarutobi clasps his hands. "Then we will continue with the discourse. Understood?"

Inu bows, "Hai, Hokage-sama"

Sarutobi frowns, "Let us hope this isn't as grave as it sounds"

* * *

Deep within the unconscious boy's mind, a deep rumble of displeasure reverberates around the endless cage.

 **"Who are you, brat?"**

Tsuna stares blankly at what he concludes, was a giant ball of orange broodiness with nine furry tails protruding out of it's (his? Her?) tailbone and shrugs.

He's seen crazier anyways, and nothing will ever top his guardians in Victoria Secret laces. He knew it would piss them off, and if Tsuna has to live with the sporadic bouts of insanity, he might as well try and have fun. Right now, something tells him that his soon to be words of greeting, was gonna make this broody ball of malcontent, go ape shit on him.

He smiles cutely and says "A friend"

He's not surprised that he finds a claw pointed at his throat.

* * *

A/N: Oh dear, Reborn's craziness rubbed off on poor Tsuna. He's a bit OOC but please bare in mind that he's over thirty, has lived with extremely, mentally unstable people for more than half of his life and Mukuro isn't the best company either haha.

Anyways, did you guys enjoy this? Please leave a review, it motivates me to write faster. If the response is good, I'll continue this :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : Okay wow, I was not expecting this level of response from you guys like what the fuck? Stop wooing me. I would like to apologize for the late update, however I've been terribly sick for the past week and my laptop (y'all Apple is shit change to Samsung) crashed so I had to rewrite this from memory. It's not as long as it was before, but I hope it can sate your thirst for reading. Honestly, from the bottom of Satan's balls, I'm fucking grateful for the ecstatic responses I've received.

Also, I'd like to say I won't be replying to all the reviews, just ones that require a response. However I deeply appreciate each and every one of your support. I just like to keep these authors note as short as possible, or else I'll mistake it to be as part of the story as well. It's awfully dispiriting finding out that the note is longer than the chapter, isn't it?

 **UzuSphere** : I didn't know periods bothered people so much haha. Personally I like the ending line of the conversation without them - It just looks more smoother with the inverted commas, and I'm not going to edit chapter 1 because I'm a lazy fuck but I inserted them here in chapter 2 when it's necessary. I'll continue to do it in the following chapters as well, so I do hope you continue reading!

 **Afi** : Tsuna will attempt to not get killed while befriending every murderer in the ninja world lol. I don't want to spoil, but that itself is a big enough clue.

 **Arisugawa Rin:** Hun, you fucking deserve the world, honestly thank you so much. It just comes as a thing to me, but your words are gratefully accepted. I hope you know you've made me incredibly happy. And the white crayon thing? It's basically how we never pay attention to them, always picking the nicer colours. It's a rather sad but clever anecdote.

 **JIMIRMA:** you my friend, are incredibly thirsty. I like that, lol. I'm afraid I tend to lean more towards Tsuna being submissive and while there won't be any sexual scenes (I think? Not sure yet) I don't plan to make him feminine as a lot of fanfics do. Like you said, he's thirty and crazy. If they ever were, however, Tsuna would probably be a power Bottom on top of being the Dominant male at times. I believe that you don't need to TOP in order to be the emotional backbone, but I'm well aware of how male relationships work, so Switching is the most probable situation for this fanfic. You've given me quite a lot to think about, however while Tsuna would certainly be soft and tender underneath the psychoticness (fucking Reborn honestly) he's going to display more emotional dominance than anyone, and a hint of physical as well. As for Itachi and Kakashi, well we'll have to wait for that. I hope this is enough of a compromise.

Also, thank you to everyone else who reviewed and please keep asking questions if you want!

 **Reader Discretion is Advised.**

* * *

 _Right now, something tells him that his soon to be words of greeting, was gonna make this broody ball of malcontent, go ape shit on him.  
_

 _He smiles cutely and says "A friend"_

 _He's not surprised that he finds a claw pointed at his throat._

* * *

Once upon a time, Tsuna remembers the small chihuahua from the neighbour that managed to decrease his life expectancy every time he sees him. It was a small, rabid thing with foam constantly frothing around white Colgate teeth. But by God, it could fucking _run_.

And he's telling you now with the longest 'yeah boi' he's ever managed, that wow was that terrifying. Soon enough, he's meeting another small, rabid and psychotic dog (he's tempted to say bitch but Reborn would find away to shoot his nostrils somehow) in the form of a cutesy hitman with a more likeable pet chamelion.

And Tsuna was also deadass terrified of him.

There were the Arcobalenos too and unsurprisingly enough, Tsuna also cowered.

There seemed to be reccurent pattern for his fear, but anything small stops his heart for a good sixty years.

It might be the reason why he's not scared right now. Why would he be? There was a sharp claw currently poised to rip his fucking throat out but you know what, it wasn't tiny or rabid, maybe psychotic but it wasn't _small_. It was massive and he decides that that's enough reason not to chicken out. That and he's way past the mental age for that. So he dedicates the still cute smile on his face to Reborn.

They stare at each other, or more rather, Tsuna stares while the giant whatever seared his frankly unnerving eyes into Tsuna.

'Cute'

He's never seen something - someone whose claw was his entire height and while he did say the smaller they are, the more he's unnerved, it makes him a little self-concious, with what never growing past 5"6 and being used as a head rest, but maybe that was the least of his worries for now.

The other who was probably six hundred thousand million feet more than him, regards him with eerie fire burning in his blood-red eyes, the corner of his mouth pulled back a bit too reveal a set of twenty four year old Reborn-height worthy canines. His tails arch, curling to fan out behind him, positioned to possibly pierce through Tsuna. But his Intuition remained dormant, and that was enough reassurance.

 **"I don't have friends."** The creature starts, a deep chuckle fading into the ominous backdrop of wherever they were. His eyes continue to bore through him. **"I have prey. And that's what you are, you insignificant runt. A prey."**

Tsuna twitches a little inside.

 _Kami_ , he thinks, if he was even real and not just some omniscient dude that loved to contradict him. It's happened pretty often enough to call it tradition. _Kami, it had to be the revengeful 'I am better than thou' one. Of course - Why did I expect less_

He _shouldn't_ have- expected less that is, with his luck spiritually nonexistent but damn, he can sure hope. He's almost always disappointed, because Tsuna's life was a giant drama filled with the extrvagance of failure, but hoping is good. Tsuna likes hoping. So he hopes that this creature won't kill him.

Yet.

He eyes the other from behind his smiling eyelids and although this one does look more keen to cut him into fine strips of tuna, Tsuna also thinks he's more susceptible to listening. Probably.

Doing what he does best, which is often pretending not to see or hear anything remotely threatening to his well-being, Tsuna juts his bottom lip out and widens his eyes in -his just one of many versions - pout. "That's not nice. You shouldn't eat your friends." He then buoyants and opens his arms, almost as if offering a hug. Tsuna was more than substantially grateful for the minimal space between the serated tip of the animal's claw and his neck.

"Let's hug!" He quips cheerfully and not at all, suicidal-like.

There was a quicksilver flash of surprise in the other's orbs before an incredulous sort of fury replaces it just as quick. " **Human** " he booms, voice dropping in tone and humour. He snarls, rabid-like and optimistic to pummel him- preferably never because he would die.

 **"It's in your best interest that you don't mess with me human."** the rather large orange fluff repeats, just to emphasise how worthless the title 'human' was. The sharp tip of his claws dug gently against the skin of his neck. Tsuna could feel the tightly curbed anger, like something was holding him back and if it wasn't there then he would die painfully, transferring as little quivers from his paws and his eyes flash menacingly. There was a growl lodged in the other's throat, scanning him dubiously and Tsuna raises an eyebrow at the blank look he receives not even seconds before he erupted.

 **"You're not my host."** he says, not mad, just a matter of factly. **"You're not the blond idiot."**

"I don't know what you mean." came the immediate reply, because if he was anything but a mafia boss in his past life, he was a terribly underestimated mafia boss that had the worse habit of pulling bullshit out his ass. "I'm blond right now."

Somewhere within the consciousness of his world, Reborn facepalms.

The creature harrumphs, a plume of smoke, almost red like escaping his snout. **"Blond and idiotic."** the other corrects, slit for eyes flicking briefly before regaining focus. **"No wonder I couldn't recognise your pathetic existence. One fool's mindset is another fool's intelligence."**

"Takes one to know one." he bites back. He still maintains the premise of his Honey cute smile, but he adds what Reborn liked to call 'A dash of questionable instability for other questionable purposes'.

 **"If you want to keep your lungs brat, it should do you best to shut your bumbling mouth."**

Tsuna shrugs, grin sharpening. "Did I insult you?" He asks, awfully patronising. He knows by now, that there's no other way to meander around this situation. Playing his part as the fool only works on people who's lacking even more brain cells than his persona and this centenerian of a beast was certainly experienced and knowledgeable. The second best thing that helps him make friends (Tsuna's personal novel 'Trials and Tribulations; How to convert your enemies to cuddle buddies 101. A book by Neo Vongola Decimo) was to probe his ego and that usually works 99% of the time.

Making eye contact and slipping in a hint of what he's inherited from Mukuro, he giggles.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were _that_ sensitive."

The other bristles, low, heavy in presentiment. '" **You're** **testing me. Don't test me brat, it's not going to end well."**

Tsuna tilts his head. "For which one of us?"

He definitely thinks Reborn unscrewed a couple of screws in his head and replaced them with unhealthy amounts of insanity at some point.

The creature's canines rattles with anger as he spits his next threat of **"Once I'm out of here, I will tear you apart, limb from limb."** And it wasn't anything close to what he's encountered with colourful bastards of the Cosa Nostra, but he understands a real threat when he hears one. It's clear that he should stop with the half-crazed child act.

But does that mean he would? He will in his fucking arse.

Clearing his throat, Tsuna deadpans "You must be fun at parties." And almost in timed suit, a deep guttural bellow rips out of his chest as he pounced.

 **"You're fucking dead!"**

Tsuna feels himself forcefully pushed back as consciousness wraps around his head in an effort to seperate him with the creature for now.

* * *

Itachi doesn't really know what to make out of this situation.

After having concealed themselves with a strong genjutsu, Inu- _taichou_ disappeared to inform the Hokage while Itachi waits with the blond child outside the door. The only other occupant they passed by earlier on was the secretary, a civillian woman wearing a risque outfit and face heavy with make-up, checking her nails like the paperwork in front of her didn't bother her in the slightest. He feels the movement of chakra flourish a floor underneath them, a bustle of ninjas getting ready for the day, waiting, probably told the Hokage was currently tending to some matters before he could issue out missions.

The genjutsu wasn't necessary, but he does like his precautions nailed down to a Plan W, just in case Plan V fails before that.

This wasn't how he expected his Wednesday morning to be like.

He looks down, staring curiously at a boy that slept unknowingly in his arms. Uzumaki Naruto. The Kyuubi vessel. A social pariah - anything remotely synonymous to the punching bag of their village.

And Kami, he was such a frail and dainty thing, smaller than his brother, so much smaller. He feels dirty for even touching him with his hands, let alone carrying him. He gives Sasuke piggy backs and he pokes his forehead a lot but this doesn't give him the automatic right to touch other children. Not with hands baptised in blood and burden.

And no matter how this village pictures the boy in his arms as, at the end of the day, he was only a child.

He spares another look at the boy, eyelids closed to hide blue eyes and starburst eyelashes touching his dusted cheeks and feels his stomach tighten.

'Innocence' his mind whispers, howls with deep-seated hatred 'Keep dreaming Uchiha, you were never one of them.'

There was something oddly...bright about the boy. Sasuke was bright, very, but it was a different sort of bright that his father can't see. Naruto was the bright that makes him feel both blessed and cursed to experience, like seeing the sun on a rainy day or being with Sasuke away from his deteriorating clan.

Sasuke was bright too, keen and ready-witted, but not yet polished. Itachi will make sure it stays that way because if their head ever finds out about Sasuke's unheard ability to deconstruct and reconstruct how he does techniques, he'll turn him into another Itachi. His brother isn't the best in performing them, but he's a monster at analysing them, he has seen first hand with the kunai training and it's staggering. Sasuke still doesn't get it, but for his age to analyse how Itachi flicks his wrists, it's unheard of.

The thought of his brother being groomed as another Genius is one he will make sure _never_ happens.

Itachi doesn't notice the set of fluttering eyelids open until a soft groan pulls him to the awakening child. There's a hazy cover to his cerulean irises, pupils widening for focus before stopping and settling on him.

He tries not to change the spike in his chakra at the boy's first words, innocent, curious.

"Why are you sad?" He asks, head still cushioned between Itachi's chest and arms. He doesn't seem to notice that he's off the ground, more concerned with the fact that _Itachi is sad._

Naruto wiggles in his arms after minutes of static silence, face turning a shy of annoyed."Umm. Can you put me down?" he whines, question forgotten and feet kicking alive just a tiny bit. Itachi complies, gently placing him feet first, but immediately balancing the boy when he staggers.

"Thanks." He murmurs, nose scrunching. He gazes up again at him, annoyance melting and eyes turning curious once again. "What's your name?"

Itachi silently debates on whether he should speak or not, but decides to humour the boy in the end.

"Crow." He softly replies, gauging the blond's reaction. The younger snorts, eyes roaming up and down before crossing his arms. "Crow?" He repeats, and Itachi nods. Naruto snorts again.

"That's so unoriginal." He points to Itachi's mask with pinched skin in between his eyebrows. "Your mask can't be your name. What's your name?"

"It's confidential." He responds, one corner of his lips lifting into a half smile underneath his mask at the indignant look from the boy. "Besides, isn't it polite to introduce yourself first before asking for other people's names?"

There was a slight pause here, and Itachi thinks his hesistance was something warranted due to the continuous slandering of the village. It saddens him, it really does.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Now what's your name?" He says again, pout becoming more prominent, seemingly deeming Itachi to be okay, "And don't lie to me. I'll bite you to death if you lie."

'Bite me to death?' He thinks, bemused. Itachi wants to point out that he wouldn't know if he lied, and that he would never even get the chance to connect his teeth with Itachi's skin unless he lets him, but he kneels down instead.

"Why do you want my name so bad?" He asks, hand dropping from the boy's shoulder to his own knee. Naruto tilts his head. "Isn't it polite to give your name to someone that gave theirs?" came the clever retort.

Itachi almost laughs until he catches himself at the last second. He doesn't laugh, not even with children. He only laughs with his little brother;the only exception.

Clearing his throat, Itachi speaks up again. "I will tell you my name if you pretend I have never met you, nor do I exist."

At his choice of words, he receives a perplexingly still gaze from the blond, calculating, and the similarity to their leader -sagacious, very measured and intent with purpose - compels his spine to straighten up. Itachi holds the gaze from the subterfuge of his ANBU mask, his body suddenly taut with tension because that gaze reminds him of the Third. And it reminds him of the stony faces of the Hokage Mountain but there was something else. Something so subtle yet, jarring all at once that it mingled around the compartmentalized thoughts in his mind.

They search each other for something both aren't entirely sure of, but Itachi sees something _else_ burning from behind the cyan of Naruto's eyes.

An old soul. There's an old soul living in him; someone capable, someone worth _doing_ for, and in all his time of safeguarding over the child, he has never encountered this side of him before. Naruto was cheerful, obnoxiously pretentious but always trying to keep others in mind. Well, _most_ of the time he wasn't terrorising Konoha, however if - _if_ there was something else behind Naruto's mask of idiosyncrasies, then maybe, just _maybe_ -

The odd moment passes just as quick as it came.

"Why?" Naruto asks, eyes suddenly turning innocent and Itachi releases a silent breath he wasn't aware he was holding. They were back to wide innocent saucers, inhibited curiosity swimming in his orbs. "Why do I have to pretend I don't know you?"

'I'm ANBU, we can't interact'

Itachi's intuition pricks, informing him that Inu-taichou was arriving to let them in the office. He stands up then and says "Just. Promise. I don't exist, okay?"

Naruto must have sense the urgency in him before he nods. "I promise."

"It's Itachi." He mumbles, "Uchiha Itachi."

The door opens just as the last syllable leaves his lips and Inu-taichou steps out.

"Crow, please bring Naruto-" his sentence tapers off as he sees his sensei's son already awake, arms folded and looking up at him suspiciously. "He's awake" he states, a little befuddled.

'A bit too early, might I add' he thinks. The boy meanders around Itachi and stomps his way up to him, finger accusing him.

" _You_." He whispers conspiratorially, eyes squinted and tone contrite. "One day, you'll find yourself on the brown, bottom side of the grass six feet under and it's going to be cold and dirty." Itachi catches his bottom lip to prevent the giggle from tumbling out of his mouth as Naruto keeps up the pretense of threatening one of their most valuable Shinobi liable for the position of Hokage. "And when that day comes, I will hide my shovel and I will pretend that I never knew you."

Inu doesn't seem to take probable threat to heart and grabs the boy by the back of his shirt, pulling him up in the air with a blank comment of "Aren't you a sunny little pill?" before he offers a nod of dismissal to Itachi. The last thing Itachi sees was the small look Naruto casts him which feels a lot like they weren't done yet.

The doors close and at the apex of the Hokage tower, the hallway bore no signs of stupid guys with crow masks or curious blonds out for Konoha's infamous Kakashi.

* * *

Tsuna spares a feigned, droll look before the doors could close completely, at the boy whose debauched emotions howled, screaming caterwauls for help and adds 'Itachi Uchiha' underneath 'Kitten' as another broken soul to fix.

* * *

"Ah, Naruto-kun." That was the first thing that greeted him when he was so rudely deposited in the room by - Tsuna glares at the tall man and his nose twitches in distaste. _This_ fucker who smells like hellhound testicles. He doesn't bother filtering his mouth, of course right after he politely calls back 'Jiji' as per the small voice behind his Intuition echoed.

He's assaulted by memories, of the old man in the hat in front of him and Tsuna concludes that he was... _okay_ for now. Naruto may have considered this man as his grandfather, however Tsuna can't help but feel something, _wrong_ about this comely painting.

"Hey, Jiji." He waves from where he was steadily kept dangling like, three feet in the air. Then he gives a thumb jab to the other man who can't seem to keep his hands off of him. "Can you tell this guy to keep his hands to himself? He smells like saliva and fur." It pulls a chuckle from the old man and received no reaction from the one holding him up, but something irks him with the way the eldest laughs.

Lesson 78, Dame-Tsuna: know your character. Get their personalities down to a fucking T. Live their life as if you're them and in the name of everything good and holy, don't scream that god-awful shriek.

It brings him back a little earlier.

 _Tsuna feels himself forcefully pushed back as consciousness wraps around his head in an effort to seperate him with the creature for now. Only to be suctioned back into another space. A wisp of something indistinguishable appears in front of him, small and blond and -_

 _"Oh." He breathes, the distorted image arranging itself into a child. "It's you." Naruto stood before him, eyes as hollow as the grin on his face. Tsuna looks down, and realises he's back to his thirty year old body, pin stripped suit and Vongola cape secured over his shoulders._

 _"Hiya." Naruto says, arms coming up to cushion the back of his head. "Are you the one that's taking my place?" He asks. Tsuna, in his previously induced-shock, quickly composes himself, eyes flashing amber._

 _"I beg your pardon?"_

 _Naruto's smile stretches a bit more. Tsuna ignores the awful dread that nicked the base of his stomach. "_ You _, mister. Are you the one taking my place?" There was a nasal tang to his voice, like he has a blocked nose but Tsuna pays it no mind._

 _Smiling gently, he kneels down with seamless grace and cups the boy shoulder with his calloused palm. "I suppose I am. I apologise for intruding, little one."_

 _Naruto shakes his head, smile dropping before blitzing into something more scintillating. "No, it's okay! You're not intruding. Well, not when I'm letting ya', ya' know?" His eyes dim even more. "I wanted to never wake up from my sleep and Kami probably granted me that wish and gave me you." A laugh titters out his lips. "You look really cool, by the way. I'm still kinda weirded out that Kami_ is _real."_

 _He says it so morbidly and Tsuna feels sick all of a sudden._

 _Tsuna frowns, "Forgive me, but I don't follow. Can you help me?" he gently inquires, palm moving to ruffle his hair a little before sliding down to his sides. Naruto's smile grows wearier by the second until it drops completely, head ducking._

 _"Nothin' much to say. I just wanted to disappear. Simple. No point in living when you're not really, living right? That's all there really is to it. I just prayed every night that I won't wake up the next morning." Naruto looks up, "It's that simple, you know? Everyone hates me, Jiji probably hates me too. If no one loves me, then what's the poin?"_

 _An indescribable rage courses through his veins with every confession coming from the child. Tsuna's jaw clenches, eyes narrowing into slits. "And why is that?" He asks, voice devoid of any emotions. Naruto gulps, suddenly shaking as if the answer haunted him every night._

 _"Because I'm different." He sobs, little heart wrenching cries that plucked the heart strings of his muscle. "B-Because I'm a d-d-demon. T-They said I- I should have never been born! T-They tell me to just die! And I'm just tired of hearing i-it everyd-day!"_

 _Son of a-_

 _Tsuna releases a shaky breath, body locked in place._

 _A_ child _. A fucking child barely_ seven _._

 _This is his legacy - part of what he's busted his ass working to change in the mafia. The only way to stop bloodshed and human self-supremacy was through their little_ bambinos _._

 _Children born in the Cosa Nostra can't be undone of course, but to abandon, to use for whatever animalistic desires, it gets his blood boiling. Children are meant to be loved and nurtured like gems; they're the next leaders, even better ones than the previous. It takes up a good amount of the reasons on why he destroyed the mafia, ripping it's materialism, burning everything to the ground and reconstructing it to fit his ideals. So that children wouldn't have to go through what Mukuro did, or Fuuta, or Lambo or Yuni or Enma or even_ him _, so they wouldn't use bloodshed to reach a pedestal built on human greed. So children could live with the hope that good exist in a world of corruptness and by giving them hope, by planting those seeds early in their life they'll be chanting the ideals of people who want nothing but love and peace, to their own offsprings. It's a cycle, a goal Tsuna and the Vongola have reached after destroying the mafia._

 _He guesses he has a lot of work to do in this world as well._

 _Shushing the mildly hysterical boy, Tsuna scoops him up in his arms without hesitation. His chest contracts painfully when Naruto gasps, attempting to push him because 'No, please you can't touch me! I'm a demon, I'll hurt you please don't hate me pleasepleaseplease-' and cradles the blond to his chest. Tsuna doesn't move, not when the small pounding fists tried to hurt him. He just held on tighter and whispered soft things in his crown._

 _"Shhh. Calm down, it's okay. I don't hate you, you are not what they say. Calm down." He places a tender kids against the boy's temple, humming to placate him. "I don't hate you. I promise. I don't hate you and I will_ never _hate you. You are_ not _a demon."_

 _"H-How do_ you _know!?" Yells Naruto, muffled by the fabric of his chest, fingers gripping them, quivering, shaking. "How do you know they're wrong!? I've been living my entire life like this, who's to say they aren't right?"_

 _"Me." He responds resolutely, and Naruto quiets down a little, still crying, still scared and vulnerable, but willing to listen. "I say they're wrong because you know why?" Tsuna unwraps his arms from the child before Naruto panics and pleads "Don't let go of me! Please, don't hate me!"_

 _Tsuna shushes him again with another kiss on the side of his forehead. "I won't let go love, it's okay. Just, turn around for me, okay? "_

 _"W-What are you doing?" Cries Naruto. Tsuna's eyes flash amber._

 _"Proving to you why they're wrong."_

 _He waits patiently for the boy to calm down and let's him clutch a little tighter. Tsuna stays still, soothing his back with circles from his hands and singing a tune to ebb his anxiety away. It takes time, it always does, before Naruto is peeling himself away from him, just to turn around and sink back into his broader chest. Tsuna chuckles, fond at the small tyke before taking the child's hand in his own._

 _He should be thankful for Naruto as well. If it weren't for the small boy using up more time to quell his tremoring body, Tsuna wouldn't be able to relinquish the pulsating bloodlust clawing from his insides._

 _Tsuna then smiles. "Did you know what my tutor use to to tell me when I was little?" he gently mumbles, turning their hands over so that Naruto's little palm faced upwards, just like his. He feels Naruto's hair caresses his chin as he shakes his head in disagreement, quiet sniffles escaping him with the occasional hiccup. Tsuna laughs again. "Well first, what do you see in front of you?"_

 _"Um" Naruto utters in confoundment. "My..hand?" He says._

 _"Good. And what else?"_

 _Naruto looks at Tsuna's hand. "You're hand?"_

 _"Well done. And what's the difference between yours and mine?" He asks, coaxing the answer from the boy with patient waiting._

 _"Yours is...bigger." He says. Naruto then frowns, running stubby fingers along the faded marks on his appendage. "And there's more scars and bumps. Did you get hurt a lot?" He asks, and he almost sounds hurt for Tsuna._

 _Tsuna's chest blossoms with adoration for the small boy._

 _"I did." Came the honest reply, because he doesn't lie to children. Never to them. "I needed to protect my precious people. So I had to get stronger and this is the price."_

 _"It's like shinobis." Naruto quips in return, a lighter lilt in his tone. "They grow strong to protect their village and it's people!" His voice then turns solemn. "I wanted to be one, be the Leader. That's the Hokage, but they hate me. So I couldn't. I couldn't really-"_

 _"It's okay." Says Tsuna, and he means it. He files what the boy has divulged about his world for later and focuses back on the matter at hand. No pun intended. "You don't need to prove yourself to people who can't see your worth. You're more than enough."_

 _Naruto nods, getting a little teary eyed at the genuine conviction in the man's voice._

 _"Let's get back to the hands. Is that all? See anything else?" Tsuna questions. Naruto doesn't reply, and his Intution nudges him. "It's okay, there are no wrong or right answers."_

 _"Yes." Was the meek reply. Tsuna chuckles, and hears a breath of relief from Naruto._

 _"Okay. Now I want you to listen carefully, yeah? This is going to hurt a bit, but -." Tsuna brings his thumb back and bites it just enough to draw blood. He hears Naruto gasp, childlike and almost coos before stopping himself. "Can you do the same? It's okay if you can't, but can you try?"_

 _"I can try." Was the deft response. Tsuna twitches a little, another volley of emotions swelling up inside him. He has to commend the eagerness of the blond to learn, something admirable and even from a small glance in the distance, Tsuna can tell that this boy was brimming with potential._

 _'This world has lost someone they can never get back' he thinks, and a miniscule, sardonic part of him cackles back._

 _'They don't deserve him anyways'_

 _Naruto brings his thumb to his mouth, and surprisingly, nips it cleanly for blood to immediately appear. Tsuna wasn't reluctant with his praise and kisses him again, just because he can._

 _"I'm proud of you bub, I knew you can do it."_

 _Naruto blushes, a heady feeling spreading throughout his body. This man radiated warmth, like a blanket. Not his flimsy blanket that never helps him warm up at night or during the whiplash he gets from seasonal changes, but a fluffy blanket that makes him feel a lot like...home. He wishes he has more time with him._

 _If there was one thing Naruto regrets, it was meeting this man at the cusp of his goodbye._

 _"Now, let's try again._ _" Tsuna starts. "What do you see?"_

 _Naruto switches between his thumb and the man that's warmer than Jiji before answering._

 _"Blood. From both of us."_

 _"And? What can make out from everything you've managed to see?"_

 _Naruto usually doesn't like thinking, but he doesn't want to disappoint this person. So he thinks back on his hand, and then the man's hand and then his thumb and then the man's thumb and says, a bit confused, that "They're all the same?"_

 _Tsuna chuckles happily, and Naruto thinks he's finally done something right._

 _"They're all the same, aren't they?" Tsuna turns him around and wow - Naruto thinks, breath knocked away at the amber shine in his eyes. Wow, he's_ really _pretty. Tsuna smiles, bright and uncontrolled and something in Naruto wants to cry again. Jiji never smiled at him like that, no one did._

 _"Now that we've established that they're the same, I'm going to tell you what my tutor told me." Shifting a little, Tsuna sits down and motions for Naruto to sit too. "I was different too, with my peers and they never failed to remind me that."_

 _"Really!?" Naruto gasps. Tsuna nods. "Really. We're very similar, because we're both different. But Reborn - my tutor - would always say that 'At the end of the day, no matter where you are or who you are, you have the same number of hands and feet as everyone else. You breathe the same air, you walk on the same ground, you love, you hate and when you hurt, you bleed the same colour.' So- at the end of the day -" Tsuna bops his nose and Naruto giggles. "At the end of the day, despite that fact that we're different in some aspects. We all end up the same."_

 _Naruto agrees seriously. "We're all going to die anyways." And Tsuna laughs._

Looking at the man in front of him, Tsuna can't help but feel a bit bitter. And from experience, his summoning to this office isn't just to make nicies and act like chummy friends; these men were looking for answers to Tsuna's weird behaviour.

But is he going to give it to them?

Fuck no.

He thinks about Naruto; small, bright and happy Naruto and another wave of contempt washes over him. He doesn't show it, not even when the Inu-guy drops him unceremoniously on the couch before standing like a fucking useless _turd_. He doesn't show it when the elderly man smiles, and doesn't show how much it makes his skin crawl.

 _Jiji_ leans forward, chin propped up by his elbow and clasped hands. "Let's talk a little, shall we Naruto-kun."

 _"Hey, can you tell me your name before I go?" Naruto pleads a little, voice quivering and eyes half-massed with unshed tears. He tries to smile, but it's a lot of wobbly and a little of happiness. "I want to remember you."_

 _Tsuna's eyes soften, and he ruffles his hair fondly. "It's Tsunayoshi. But you can call me Tsuna."_

 _"Tsuna-nii" he tests out on his tongue and Tsuna's breath hitches. Naruto laughs, ten times gleeful but twenty times sorrowful. "Kick some ass for me, okay Tsuna-nii?"_

Tsuna's blue eyes drags across the sky outside, and a quick vulpine grin flirts across his face.

'I'll make your name worth a legend, Naruto' The birds chirp outside, almost harmonious in agreement 'I promise'

Tsu-Naruto then looks back at the old man and grins.

 _Lesson 78, Dame-Tsuna: know your character. Get their personalities down to a fucking T. Live their life as if you're them and in the name of everything good and holy, don't scream that god-awful shriek._

"Kay' Jiji. Let's talk."

'I'll make you a fable to be heard after I get through why this old man irritates me.'

* * *

 **A/N:** The Kyuubi did not realise he was not Naruto due to the fact they have never met prior to this moment. Also, I think the middle part might have been a bit confusing so if there are any questions regarding that area, please don't hesitate to ask me.

Terribly sorry that the Kyuubi and Tsuna aren't friends yet, but it will come. Don't worry haha. Also, ITACHI; love him so much.

i hope you enjoyed this and please, review! It makes me write faster

Edited:29 March 2017


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